Minor League Pickleball - Dallas Showdown - Recap

Prepare for an epic showdown as The Dink Minor Leagues announces seven thrilling tournaments! With 12 to 16 teams per division, each Regional Showdown promises fierce competition. The stakes are high, and the first-place team of each division takes home a Dream Ticket, automatically qualifying them for the 2024 National Championship!

Discover the 7 Regional Showdown Locations

The Regional Showdowns span the nation, offering aspiring players from all corners of the country an equal opportunity to showcase their skills and play for a chance to secure the coveted Dream Ticket to the National Championship. Learn how you can earn points at Regional Showdowns to climb the National Leaderboard. 

Take a look and sign up for a Regional Showdown near you!

1. Northeast Regional Showdown
2. Midsouth Regional Showdown
3. Midwest Regional Showdown
4. West Coast Regional Showdown
5. Northwest Regional Showdown
6. Southwest Regional Showdown 
7. Southeast Regional Showdown

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Explore Regional Showdown Divisions and Pricing 

Offered Divisions: 12*, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22* (*DUPR 12 and 22 are only available in specific locations)

Price: $100-$150

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Unleash the Rewards: What Players Can Expect

• Guaranteed 4 Matches (8 games) where all teams go to bracket. There is a single elimination back draw and the main draw plays for gold medals.
• Winners of each division earn a Dream Ticket to the National Championship. some text
  • Dream Ticket = guaranteed team spot at Nationals. 
  • If the gold medalist team chooses not to compete at Nationals, the silver medalist team will be offered the Dream Ticket. 
• The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners receive The Dink Minor Leagues medals.
• Players receive a swag bag which includes a Gamma Chuck Tournament Pickleball, the official ball of DUPR. 

Northeast Regional Showdown Hosted by All State Pickleball League

Date: July 20th

Venue: Bounce

City, State: Malvern, Pennsylvania

Divisions: 12, 14, 16, 18

Register Now!

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Midsouth Regional Showdown Hosted by OPC & Pickleball Kingdom

Date: July 27th & 28th

Venue: Pickleball Kingdom Plano

City, State: Plano, Texas

Divisions: 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22

Register Now! 

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Midwest Regional Showdown Hosted by iPickle Nation and Sponsored by JustPaddles

Date: August 10th

Venue: PickleCon (Kansas City Convention Center)

City, State: Kansas City, Missouri

Divisions: 12, 14, 16, 18, 20

Register Now! 

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West Coast Regional Showdown Hosted by Carmen Sanz Pickleball Club

Date: August 31st

Venue: Willow Pass Community Park in Concord

City, State: Concord, California

Divisions: 12, 14, 16, 18, 20

Register Now!

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Northwest Regional Hosted BY ZZ2 Pickleball 

Date: September 7th & 8th 

Venue: Caverlero MidHigh School

City, State: Lake Stevens, Washington

Divisions: 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22

Register Now!

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Southwest Regional Showdown Hosted by iPickle Nation and Sponsored by JustPaddles

Date: October 5th & 6th, 2024

Venue: Picklemall ~ Tempe

City, State: Tempe, Arizona

Divisions: 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22

Register Now!

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Southeast Regional Showdown Hosted by All Florida Pickleball 

Date: November 9th & 10th

Venue: Lone Palm Country Club

City, State: Lakeland, Florida

Divisions: 14, 16, 18, 20 

Register Now!

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To learn more about The Dink Minor Leagues, visit the website. Visit our blog for more information on the 2024 National Championship. Sign up for a The Dink Minor Leagues event now to get on the National Leaderboard and start your journey toward Nationals!

Minor League Pickleball (MiLP) and The Dink, pickleball’s leading media platform, today announced The Dink Minor Leagues, a new joint venture designed to grow local competitive opportunities for amateur players.

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The Dink Minor Leagues will extend the reach of MiLP to create more events and opportunities for amateur players in the United States and worldwide. Since its inception in the fall of 2022, MiLP has hosted over 120 events involving over 8000 participants, gaining considerable traction and acceptance among competitive amateur players due to its exciting format, frequency of events, and electrifying atmosphere. With The Dink coming on board as a partner, The Dink Minor Leagues is aiming to host more than 200 events in the US this year alone, with plans to expand its footprint and format worldwide.

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“Amateurs drive the sport; they're the reason we're all here. We've published thousands of pieces of content to help recreational players, from beginner to 5.0, improve their game. Through The Dink Minor Leagues, we're offering an environment to put those skills into practice, compete, and have an unforgettable experience. And oh yeah, they can also win some money,” said Thomas Shields, The Dink’s Founder & CEO. 

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Minor League Pickleball, a subsidiary of DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating), is an innovative team competition where teams of four players (two women and two men) compete against each other in a novel and engaging format, with twists on traditional match-ups and scoring for games, matches, and tiebreakers. Under the joint venture, The Dink Minor Leagues will host over 200 events across the country, including seven new regional events and a national championship, to bring the country’s most competitive amateurs together in an unforgettable tournament weekend.

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“We are excited to partner with The Dink, the premier media and news source in pickleball, to grow Minor League Pickleball into the largest amateur pickleball league worldwide by providing more and better playing opportunities and a unique ‘play like the pros’ experience,” said Tito Machado, DUPR CEO. “Combining the power of The Dink’s media platform with MiLP’s exciting format and engaged community offers new ways to spotlight the game, the players and the venues, and further develop the most exciting amateur league the world has seen.”  

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The Dink Minor Leagues Key Events 

Northeast Regional – July 20th

Bounce Pickleball – Malvern, PA 

Hosted by All State Pickleball League, Stephen Conger

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Midsouth Regional – July 27th - 28th

Pickleball Kingdom Plano, TX 

Hosted by OPC, Caroline Luelf 

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Midwest Regional – August 10th

PickleCon (Kansas City Convention Center) – Kansas City, MO 

Hosted by iPickle Nation, Rick Fortuna 

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West Coast Regional – August 31st

Willow Pass Community Park – Concord, CA 

Hosted by Carmen Sanz Pickleball Club, Carmen Sanz

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Northwest Regional – September 7th - 8th 

Cavelero Courts – Lake Stevens, WA

Hosted by ZZ2 Pickleball, Pablo Granados 

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Southwest Regional – October 5th - 6th

Picklemall – Tempe, AZ

Hosted by iPickle Nation, Rick Fortuna

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Southeast Regional – November 9th -10th 

Lone Palm Country Club – Lakeland, FL

Hosted by All Florida Pickleball, David Tabb 

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National Championship – December 13th - 15th 

Missouri Pickleball Club – Fenton, MO 

Hosted by DUPR 

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The Dink Minor League Format: Teams compete against each other in Matches using the MLPlay™ format, featuring team matches that are composed of four 21-point games, one women’s doubles, one men’s doubles, and the final two games consisting of mixed doubles. Teams play in a round robin pool, with guaranteed matches and a playoff bracket to determine the winning team. All participating players must have a DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) account, and teams are formed by combining the DUPR ratings of all four players.

For a full list of events and to sign up to participate as a player or host, please visit dupr.com/minorleague.

For further information on partnership and sponsor inquiries, reach out to thedinkteam@heydink.com.

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About Minor League Pickleball

Minor League Pickleball offers an innovative team competition format, bringing together teams consisting of four players (two women and two men). Spanning multiple days, our events feature a unique and engaging format with exciting variations on traditional match-ups and scoring systems for games, matches, and tiebreakers. With events hosted in 25 states across the nation, including 108 confirmed events and 7 Regionals, Minor League Pickleball has attracted over 8000 players since its inception in 2022, providing a dynamic and competitive platform for pickleball players of all skill levels For more information visit www.dupr.com/minorleague.

About DUPR

DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) is the premier global pickleball rating system and technology platform, trusted by the world's leading clubs, tournaments, leagues and players. DUPR's dynamic rating system unifies pickleball across age, gender and location by analyzing match results to accurately evaluate all players across a 2.000 - 8.000 scale. Players and operators can visit www.dupr.com to sign up and learn more.

About The Dink

The Dink is pickleball’s #1 media and news source, offering a range of content via its newsletters, website, podcast network and social media channels. The Dink publishes daily to over 1 million pickleball players of all levels, covering news, stories, tips & strategy, product reviews, pro analysis and basic information about the sport. The Dink is also the creator of The Pickleball Box, a pickleball subscription box, and hosts a number of pro, amateur and celebrity events throughout the year. Visit thedinkpickleball.com to learn more.

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There is no limit to the number of teams a school can submit to a Regional, and the University of Florida (UF) used that to their advantage this past weekend by bringing five teams to compete. Never before had a school brought more than three teams to a DUPR Collegiate Pickleball event! By the time the finals rolled around, all of the players from the eliminated UF teams could be heard cheering on their last remaining team in hopes of securing their first Regional championship. 

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In the finals, UF faced Clemson, who was both the winner of last year’s Georgia Regional and the winner of the last Super Regional in Virginia. Clemson taking the first game in Women’s Doubles didn’t phase UF, as UF rattled off 3 straight wins in Men’s Doubles, 1st Mixed Doubles, and 2nd Mixed Doubles to secure the title. Prior to the Georgia Super Regional, UF and Clemson had already secured spots at Nationals, so the remaining four bids went to University of Georgia, University of North Florida, Florida College, and Southeastern University (SEU). All school maintained a great team spirit throughout the tournament which made it even more exciting to be a part of!

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The Georgia Super Regional also welcomed Charleston Southern University, Davidson College, University of Kentucky, Louisiana State University, and The University of Texas at Tyler to their first DUPR Collegiate Pickleball event! University of Kentucky almost pulled off a #14 seed vs. #3 seed upset against SEU in the Round of 16 by taking them to a Dreambreaker. In fact, the playoffs for this tournament saw an incredibly high number of Dreambreakers, as 7 out of the 15 elimination playoff matches went to a Dreambreaker, including both semifinals and 3/4 of the quarterfinals. Here is the link to view the full schedule and standings from the weekend.

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A special thanks goes to our DUPR Collegiate Pickleball partners: JOOLA, HEAD, GAMMA, Rally Republic, Total Pickleball, and OOFOS. Another thanks goes to Pickle & Social in Buford, GA for hosting the 2nd annual Georgia Super Regional! 

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